1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mold for the nanoimprint lithography and a method for forming the mold.
2. Related Background Arts
A Japanese Patent Application published as JP-2007-245684A has disclosed a method of forming a replica mold used as a stamper of the nanoimprint technique. The method disclosed therein first prepares a master mold with fine patterns on a silicon substrate and a starting material for the mold with a stack of an optically curable resin on an elastic body. Then, stamping the master mold against the optically curable resin, the fine patterns on the master mold may be transcribed on the optically curable resin. Subsequently, leaving the optically curable resin in a room temperature, or in relatively low temperature, as the master mold is stamped thereon, to harden the optically curable resin. Finally, the fine patterns of the master mold may be reflected as the mother mold by the optically curable resin on the elastic body by detaching the master mold therefrom. Then, applying a thermo-curable resin on the master pattern to transcribe the master pattern on the thermo-curable resin, and placing a metal plate on the thermo-curable resin and performing the thermal treatment to harden the thermo-curable resin, the replica mold may be finally obtained by the thermo-curable resin by detaching the metal plate from the mother mold.
The replica mold in the fine patterns thereof thus formed is primarily made of thermo-curable resin. Accordingly, when damages such as scratch, dust, contamination, and so on are caused in the replica mold by the iterated use thereof, no method and means have been known to recover or repair the replica mold. Moreover, the process to obtain the replica mold described therein first forms the mother pattern by the optically curable resin from the master mold, then the replica mold by the thermo-curable resin may be formed from the mother pattern, namely, two-step process to obtain the final replica mold.